List of 133 Words That Came From Native American Languages

Word	Origin
abalone	From the Rumsen word awlun, via Spanish.
agouti	From Tupi-Guaraní akutí.
alpaca	From Aymara allpaqa, via Spanish.
apishamore	From Ojibwa apishamon.
atamasco lily	From Virginia Algonquian attamusco.
atlatl	From Nahuatl ahtlatl.
avocado	From Nahuatl āhuacatl, via Spanish aguacate.
axolotl	From Nahuatl āxōlōtl.
babiche	From Canadian French, of Algonquian origin.
barbecue	From American Spanish barbacoa, probably from Taino.
bayou	From Choctaw bayuk, via Louisiana French.
cocoa	Modification of Spanish cacao, which came from Nahuatl cacahuatl.
caiman	From Carib acayuman, via Spanish.
cannibal	From Taino Caniba.
canoe	From Taino via Spanish canoa.
caribou	From Miꞌkmaq γalipu.
cashew	From Tupí akajú.
cassava	From Taino caçábi, via Spanish.
catalpa	From Creek katáłpa.
cay	From Taino, via Spanish cayo.
cayenne	From Tupí kyinha.
cenote	From Yucatec Mayan ts'onot or conot, via Mexican Spanish.
chayote	From Nahuatl chayohtli.
cheechako	From Chinook Jargon chee (new) + chako (come).
chia	From Nahuatl chía.
chicle	From Nahautl tzictli.
chili	From Nahuatl chīlli.
chinquapin	From Virginia Algonquian chechinquamin.
chipmunk	Originally "chitmunk," from Ojibwa ačitamo·nʔ.
chocolate	From Nahuatl chocolātl.
chuckwalla	From Cahuilla čáxwal.
coca	From Quechua kuka.
condor	From Quechua kuntur, via Spanish.
coontie	From Creek kuntí.
copal	From Nahuatl copalli.
coyote	From Nahuatl coyōtl.
dory	From Miskito dóri.
epazote	From Nahuatl epazōtl.
eulachon	From Chinook Jargon ulâkân.
geoduck	From Lushootseed gʷídəq.
guacamole	From Nahuatl āhuacamōlli, meaning "avocado sauce."
guan	From Kuna kwama.
guanaco	From Quechua wanaku, via Spanish.
guano	From Quechua wanu, via Spanish.
guava	From Taino guayavá, via Spanish.
hammock	From Taino, via Spanish hamaca.
hickory	From Virginia Algonquian pawcohiccora.
hogan	From Navajo hooghan.
hominy	From Virginia Algonquian.
hurricane	From Taino hurakán, via Spanish.
igloo	From Inuktitut iglu.
iguana	From Arawak iwana.
Inca	From Quechua inka.
jaguar	From Tupi jawára or jaguara, via Portuguese.
jaguarundi	From Guarani yaguarundi.
jerky	From Quechua ch'arki, via Spanish charquí.
kachina	From Hopi qacína.
kayak	From Inuktitut qayaq.
kinkajou	From Algonquian, via French quincajou.
kinnikinnick	From Algonquian.
lagniappe	From Quechua yapa, via American Spanish la ñapa.
llama	From Quechua, via Spanish.
maize	From Taino mahiz, via Spanish maíz.
malamute	From Inupiat malimiut.
manatee	From Carib, via Spanish manatí.
mangrove	From Taino, via Spanish mangle or Portuguese mangue.
manioc	From Tupí maniʔóka or mandiʔóka.
maraca	From Tupí maraká.
mesquite	from Nahuatl mizquitl.
moccasin	From Virginia Algonquian mockasin.
moose	From Eastern Abenaki mos.
mugwump	From Algonquian.
mukluk	From Yupik maklak.
muskeg	From Creek maskēk.
muskrat	From Algonquian.
nanook	From Inuktitut nanug.
nopal	From Nahuatl nohpalli.
ocelot	From Nahuatl ōcēlōtl.
opossum	From Algonquian aposoum or opassom.
pampa	From Quechua.
pemmican	From Creek pimihkān.
persimmon	From Virginia Algonquian pessemmin.
petunia	From Tupí petɨ́ma.
peyote	From Nahuatl peyotl.
piki	From Hopi píki.
pipsissewa	From Eastern Abenaki kpipskwáhsawe.
piranha	From Tupí pirã́ja.
pogonip	From Shoshone paγɨnappɨh.
poncho	From Mapudungun pontho.
pone	From Virginia Algonquian appone.
potato	From Taino, via Spanish batata.
potlatch	From Nootka p̓aƛp̓ač, via Chinook Jargon patlač.
powwow	From Narragansett powwaw.
puccoon	From Virginia Algonquian poughkone.
puma	From Quechua, via Spanish.
pung	From an Algonquian language.
quahog	From Narragansett poquaûhock.
quetzal	From Nahuatl quetzalli.
quinine	From Quechua kina, via Spanish quina.
quinoa	From Quechua kinua.
raccoon	From Virginia Algonquian raugroughcun.
sachem	From Narragansett sâchim.
sagamore	From Eastern Abenaki sakəma.
salal	From Lower Chinook salál.
sapodilla	From Nahuatl tzapotl.
savanna	From Taino zabana.
skookum	From Lower Chehalis skwəkwə́m.
skunk	From Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa.
soroche	From Quechua surúchi.
squash (fruit)	From Narragansett askútasquash.
succotash	From Narragansett msíckquatash.
tamale	From Nahuatl tamalli.
tapioca	From Tupí tɨpɨʔóka.
tapir	From Tupí tapiʔíra.
terrapin	From Virginia Algonquian *tōrəpēw.
tobacco	Via Spanish tabaco, probably from Taino.
toboggan	From Miꞌkmaq tobâgun.
tomahawk	From Virginia Algonquian tamahaac.
tomato	From Nahuatl tomatl.
totem	From Ojibwa nindoodem or odoodeman.
toucan	From Tupí tukána.
tuckahoe	From Virginia Algonquian tockawhoughe.
tule	From Nahuatl tōllin.
tullibee	From Ojibwa oto·lipi, via French toulibi.
tupelo	From Creek ito opilwa.
vicuña	From Quechua wik'uña, via Spanish.
wampum	From Narraganset wampompeag.
wapatoo	From Creek wāpatowa.
wickiup	From Fox wiikiyaapi.
wigwam	From Eastern Abenaki wìkəwam.
woodchuck	Related to Narragansett ockqutchaun.
yaupon	From Catawba yą́pą.
yuca	From Taino.

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